Air

Red Ribbon Winner from The Wishing Shelf Book Awards

There are four fundamental things humans require for survival: air to breathe, shelter to keep our bodies safe, water to drink, and food to eat. Take any of these away and we cannot survive for long. Shelter, water, and food, we must put in some effort to obtain. We take air for granted because it's always there, wherever we go. But what if it wasn't? What if we had to put effort into obtaining and managing the air we breathe, just as we do for everything else? Welcome to life on Mars.

The Generation Mars series is hard science fiction scaled for kids. Sisters Cas and Ori are among the first children born on Mars. The series follows their adventures as they grow up in an environment unlike any in which children have grown up before.

Each book in the series uses a fundamental element of survival as title and jumping off point: Air, Shelter, Water, Food.

In book one, Air, the sisters learn about the air they breathe, and about what can happen when things go wrong.

From the author:

I am writing the Generation Mars series to give kids their first exposure to hard science fiction. Technically, that term simply means that the events of the stories are grounded in science. But, inevitably, it also means that the science can be hard. I've made an effort to ensure that the story is enjoyable even without a thorough understanding of the science involved. Terms are introduced in a way that should make their meaning obvious from context. The science section at the back is challenging, but I've made the important take-aways clear at the beginning of each section.

I also have not held back in terms of vocabulary and grammatical style throughout the book. It is my experience that kids are able to enjoy reading levels far beyond what we expect, as long as the story keeps them engaged. I think this one will.